http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2016/05/03/a-perfect-city-why-allegiant-air-took-a-bet-on.html
QuoteIn the meantime, the next step for Jacksonville could be more flights from Allegiant, or even basing crews and planes out of the city. Because Allegiant's cost-saving business model calls for basing its equipment and employees out of cities in flies to and ends the day's routes in, that brings an economic boost and job growth to those base cities.
"We added flights to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Asheville in the last 12 months," he said. "All three were clamoring to be a base. It means job growth, hiring people, getting new routes, more utility and lowering fares. Jacksonville isn't quite there, but it shares a lot of the qualities."
I am booked on 2 Allegiant flights right now.
Sanford - Springfield, MO
Jax - Cincy
The schedule of only twice a week is tough to work around at times.
Whats funny is I drive 2 hours to Sanford on the first one. And will come back to Sanford via Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville) which is the "WalMart HQ" airport.
I drive 2 hours from Cincy to Indy on the second because the schedule is better.
The fare + car rental is still cheaper per seat than just the fare at a mainstream carrier.
If they can maintain their equipment and keep their staff professional, they will be the next Ryan Air.
Allegiant has issues when they expand because they lease used equipment in various states of repair to meet the summer schedule. Then spend the rest of the summer getting them in order.
A couple of carriers are about to unload their inventory of MD-80's (American and Delta) and Allegiant likes them because they are durable, cheap and economical on fuel and there are tons of pilots and maintenance people certified on them. They make great market start up planes.
Quote from: spuwho on May 03, 2016, 12:20:21 PM
I am booked on 2 Allegiant flights right now.
Sanford - Springfield, MO
Jax - Cincy
The schedule of only twice a week is tough to work around at times.
Whats funny is I drive 2 hours to Sanford on the first one. And will come back to Sanford via Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville) which is the "WalMart HQ" airport.
I drive 2 hours from Cincy to Indy on the second because the schedule is better.
The fare + car rental is still cheaper per seat than just the fare at a mainstream carrier.
If they can maintain their equipment and keep their staff professional, they will be the next Ryan Air.
Allegiant has issues when they expand because they lease used equipment in various states of repair to meet the summer schedule. Then spend the rest of the summer getting them in order.
A couple of carriers are about to unload their inventory of MD-80's (American and Delta) and Allegiant likes them because they are durable, cheap and economical on fuel and there are tons of pilots and maintenance people certified on them. They make great market start up planes.
Please report back on how it goes. There are so many horror stories about delays, cancellations, etc. that really tempers my excitement about a new carrier expanding in JAX. Their IRROPS currently are a joke, I guess you get what you pay for.
Since the SWA / AirTran merger, fares have gotten so out of whack in JAX for many of my trips, I have been heading to MCO lately. So many NS flights available from MCO combined with the $avings just makes sense for me. And when the wife and kids come along the savings X 4 plus no connection with kids in tow really tips the scales in MCO's favor.
The Mad Dogs coming from AA and DL will have high cycles on them and probably expensive checks due, I'm not sure how good of a deal it will be for G4 and how much the older planes that will need more maintenance will hurt their on time percentage.
It will be nice to see if G4 can get their ducks in a row to really bring competition to the market.
Quote from: Gators312 on May 03, 2016, 05:26:19 PM
Quote from: spuwho on May 03, 2016, 12:20:21 PM
I am booked on 2 Allegiant flights right now.
Sanford - Springfield, MO
Jax - Cincy
The schedule of only twice a week is tough to work around at times.
Whats funny is I drive 2 hours to Sanford on the first one. And will come back to Sanford via Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville) which is the "WalMart HQ" airport.
I drive 2 hours from Cincy to Indy on the second because the schedule is better.
The fare + car rental is still cheaper per seat than just the fare at a mainstream carrier.
If they can maintain their equipment and keep their staff professional, they will be the next Ryan Air.
Allegiant has issues when they expand because they lease used equipment in various states of repair to meet the summer schedule. Then spend the rest of the summer getting them in order.
A couple of carriers are about to unload their inventory of MD-80's (American and Delta) and Allegiant likes them because they are durable, cheap and economical on fuel and there are tons of pilots and maintenance people certified on them. They make great market start up planes.
Please report back on how it goes. There are so many horror stories about delays, cancellations, etc. that really tempers my excitement about a new carrier expanding in JAX. Their IRROPS currently are a joke, I guess you get what you pay for.
Since the SWA / AirTran merger, fares have gotten so out of whack in JAX for many of my trips, I have been heading to MCO lately. So many NS flights available from MCO combined with the $avings just makes sense for me. And when the wife and kids come along the savings X 4 plus no connection with kids in tow really tips the scales in MCO's favor.
The Mad Dogs coming from AA and DL will have high cycles on them and probably expensive checks due, I'm not sure how good of a deal it will be for G4 and how much the older planes that will need more maintenance will hurt their on time percentage.
It will be nice to see if G4 can get their ducks in a row to really bring competition to the market.
The problem when G4 has IRROPS is that many of the airports they work with, they are the sole provider. This makes any problems they have very difficult to work with.
Their contract of carriage doesnt offer much by way of remediation either.
The nickel and dime booking policy frustrates travelers because the above the line advertised fare is for traveling with only an underseat bag and no seat reservations. Which makes it no different than Greyhound.
One trip I booked on G4, the total fare was only $173, but the taxes, fees, surcharges like 911 fees came out to $178.
It makes the fare look great, but also makes the hands of the government look pretty greedy, especially when it essentially doubles the total.
So far most of the technical problems seem to be at their hub in St Pete. Last summer there was a near rebellion by the pilots due to the poor condition of the planes they had leased. By July, almost all of them had been resolved, but not before some serious complaints by travelers and pilots alike.
So hopefully these are lessons G4 will apply to any future expansions in JIA.
I am boarding G4 in Sanford now.
They have added express baggage check for those with pre-printed boarding passes. Basically 4 iPads on a wall. Really speeds things up. Since we have TSA Pre-Chek, it was only 5m from walking in Sanford Terminal to standing in front of the gate. The only hassle was the express baggage employee reprinted our boarding passes due to scanner issues and it stripped off the PreChek code. We showed our old passes and TSA put us through.
For those who dont frequent Sanford, Allegiant has grown so much they occupy both Terminal A and B. Last year they finally opened the indoor passenger bridge between the terminals so you dont have to go outside anymore.
I would say that JIA's amenities are a level above Sanford's and JIA is a lot easier on the eyes.
Since the weather is perfect, it would take a mechanical issue to stop or delay us now.
But one thing for sure, Sanford is buzzing and they can thank Allegiant.
If Allegiant brings this much volume to JIA, then that will be a good thing.
FWIW:
To give you an idea of how old Allegiant's fleet is I checked the manufacturer plate (just inside the main door) and this MD-80 was made in October of 1989. So while a 27 year old plane isnt that big of a deal, its the cycles and maintenance that matters.
I cant tell when this plate had its C check done.
As I said earlier, MD-8x are pretty hardy planes and can last a long time if maintained properly.
TAKE PHOTOS OF YOUR LUGGAGE AT THE TICKETING COUNTER, WITH A TICKETING AGENT. BEFORE YOU GET ON THE PLANE!!!!!!!!!
I just flew to Covington/Cincy and when we arrived, I had a 15-inch gash/crack in my Samsonite hard shell luggage. Obviously it was NOT there when I left Jax or I would have taken a different suitcase. I immediately took 2 photos to prove to Allegiant that their baggage handlers destroyed my suitcase. The ticketing counter is empty because the agents are all at the gate, therefore there is no way to take it up the 3 flights of stairs at CVG and show one of their employees. They also do not have any employees at the baggage carousel to report these incidents to.
When I arrived at my destination, I email Allegiant with the pictures. They did not respond until I arrived back in Jax.
Their response was that I needed a report from the airport within 4 hours of my flight. Hmmmm, so I would have to take my large suitcase and my 8 year old child all the way through security again back to the gate to an employee there. Never mind the fact that I needed to be somewhere 2 hours after my flight and that place was an hour+ drive away.
So I duct taped it for the return flight. Leaving at 7AM after waking up at 4 is no fun, but I was trying to be cordial when I checked in and all the agent said was, "oh, too bad. And you are 4 lbs over so that will cost you $50." I replied, maybe it is the 4 lbs of duct tape I had to use to repair my suitcase that you broke!
So after 10 back and forth emails and Allegiant sending me to the wrong department numerous times, they finally denied any wrongdoing.
Therefore, after paying extra at the car rental place because of Allegiant not including that in the package, cracking a VERY durable suitcase, and just being uncooperative...I might fork over the extra cash for a reputable airline.
Quote from: spuwho on May 06, 2016, 12:28:20 PM
For those who dont frequent Sanford, Allegiant has grown so much they occupy both Terminal A and B. Last year they finally opened the indoor passenger bridge between the terminals so you dont have to go outside anymore.
Never flown Sanford but I've picked up a passenger arriving there once and I also did my GOES interview there. The thing that stands out to me was the cost of parking...iirc the cheapest lot is $12/day...at JIA I usually use the $6/day lot.
Quote from: mrmakersmark on May 06, 2016, 03:23:00 PM
TAKE PHOTOS OF YOUR LUGGAGE AT THE TICKETING COUNTER, WITH A TICKETING AGENT. BEFORE YOU GET ON THE PLANE!!!!!!!!!
I just flew to Covington/Cincy and when we arrived, I had a 15-inch gash/crack in my Samsonite hard shell luggage. Obviously it was NOT there when I left Jax or I would have taken a different suitcase. I immediately took 2 photos to prove to Allegiant that their baggage handlers destroyed my suitcase. The ticketing counter is empty because the agents are all at the gate, therefore there is no way to take it up the 3 flights of stairs at CVG and show one of their employees. They also do not have any employees at the baggage carousel to report these incidents to.
When I arrived at my destination, I email Allegiant with the pictures. They did not respond until I arrived back in Jax.
Their response was that I needed a report from the airport within 4 hours of my flight. Hmmmm, so I would have to take my large suitcase and my 8 year old child all the way through security again back to the gate to an employee there. Never mind the fact that I needed to be somewhere 2 hours after my flight and that place was an hour+ drive away.
So I duct taped it for the return flight. Leaving at 7AM after waking up at 4 is no fun, but I was trying to be cordial when I checked in and all the agent said was, "oh, too bad. And you are 4 lbs over so that will cost you $50." I replied, maybe it is the 4 lbs of duct tape I had to use to repair my suitcase that you broke!
So after 10 back and forth emails and Allegiant sending me to the wrong department numerous times, they finally denied any wrongdoing.
Therefore, after paying extra at the car rental place because of Allegiant not including that in the package, cracking a VERY durable suitcase, and just being uncooperative...I might fork over the extra cash for a reputable airline.
Sorry to hear about what happened to you! It's stories like this that really make me wonder if I should consider flying them. I think I still will but only when I don't need to check any bags. I already had decided never to fly them in any situation that I couldn't allow for a 5 hour delay...I guess I'll add the checked bags restriction to the list.
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2016/05/06/allegiant-safety-pilots/
Quote from: ben says on May 06, 2016, 11:29:34 PM
http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2016/05/06/allegiant-safety-pilots/
Great article definitely reflects what the pilots have faced.
The investigation on the pilot that was fired was that his claim of smoke was unsubstantiated and that he was trying to make an example of the company due to a rash of maintenance related flight delays out of their St. Pete hub.
At the time of the pilots smoke based emergency, Allegiant had resolved the majority of the current issues. So when the claim was made and no evidence was found, that pilot was made the example and fired.
As far as expecting Allegiant to act like a mainstream carrier, you had better set those thoughts aside. They are the Megabus of the air.
Expecting ANY kind of customer service that might cost them more should not be expected at all.
Once with my e-ticket, the android app for Allegiant kept hanging and would not display the bar code. They refused to check me in until I proved it was them and not me. The sssociate even took my phone and could not get the tix to come up. Finally after 5 minutes of restarting my phone, wifi, 4g blah, blah, I came back and they agreed to print a boarding pass with no fee.
Once my flight was delayed for 8 hours, after 6 hours Allegiant provided a bottle of water and a $6 food voucher and a discount on my next booking.
Next booking? No such discount exists.
So you really have to temper your expectations, again, this is a low cost, no frills airline. A to B is all they provide at a cheap fare. Dont expect any more.
Quote from: spuwho on May 07, 2016, 01:35:17 AM
So you really have to temper your expectations, again, this is a low cost, no frills airline. A to B is all they provide at a cheap fare. Dont expect any more.
Exactly, my expectations have been always been tempered since the announcement.
This is why I would prefer to have Spirit or Frontier making a go in JAX.
Allegiant will do nothing for the foreseeable future on pressuring other airlines re: pricing in JAX, and their model & pricing does little to keep me from driving to MCO.
Well, it seems the pilots are still grumpy. Similar facts to the previously linked story.
Hundreds of pilots poised to leave Allegiant Air
http://www.abc15.com/news/national/hundreds-of-pilots-poised-to-leave-allegiant-air (http://www.abc15.com/news/national/hundreds-of-pilots-poised-to-leave-allegiant-air)
LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - Allegiant Air has been rocked by a new scandal.
Pilots poised to flee in search of safer skies and a better work environment.
Las Vegas-based KTNV's Darcy Spears has been investigating Allegiant for nearly a year. She reports why hundreds of pilots say they're looking to leave.
Overworked and underpaid. Flying for an airline with a bare minimum approach to maintenance and safety, which leads to avoidable emergencies.
That's what the majority of Allegiant pilots say is forcing them out.
Teamsters Local 1224 President Daniel Wells said, "At an operation like Allegiant with all these many problems, the one last line of defense preventing a tragedy has been the incredible skill of the Allegiant pilots."
But hundreds of Allegiant pilots say they've had enough.
This pilot satisfaction survey released Wednesday polled more than 500 captains and first officers ranging from new hires to veterans.
More than half say Allegiant's scheduling system creates confusion and fatigue. They say their pay and benefits fall below industry standards.
And they're fed up with the airline's failure to negotiate a contract with the Teamsters.
On top of that, Wells says, "They lack what we would say is a safety culture."
The survey release comes just days after Allegiant's latest incident -- this time in Phoenix.
"They had what was ostensibly a new airplane, an Airbus, have a catastrophic engine failure in the process of a go-around in Phoenix," Wells says. "Extraordinarily rare event. Something that as a professional crew member you hope you never come across in the entirety of your career."
The plane landed safely a short time later, but Wells says it's part of a culture of cutting corners on maintenance that makes pilots afraid.
"Almost half of the pilots said they will not allow their own families to fly on the aircraft. That is a stunning repudiation of the operations at Allegiant. I have never heard that before at a carrier. And that is not sour grapes. That is not to make publicity. That is a real fear that these pilots have. And the reason is because they're on the front lines and observe day in and day out the way Allegiant skimps on maintenance, pushes their aircraft."
Allegiant has experienced high pilot turnover in recent years. Citing an internal newsletter, the union says Allegiant's pilot resignation rate increased 600 percent between 2011 and 2014.
Earlier this year, Chief Operations Officer Steve Harfst abruptly resigned.
And KTNV obtained an internal announcement that Director of Maintenance Jesse Peek is retiring later this month.
"And I think that it's not coincidence that it's in the midst of this ongoing FAA investigation into their maintenance practices," Wells says
The Federal Aviation Administration is auditing Allegiant two years ahead of schedule. The agency says it wants to ensure Allegiant is making improvements and addressing internal issue. The FAA expects to complete their evaluation in June.
We asked Allegiant for comment, but they refused.
Instead, they sent a statement saying, "As the safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance to every single person in our company, we will not engage with a member of the media who distorts the facts and lacks objectivity."
I came back via Allegiant today to Sanford.
Another MD-80 that was about 27 years old brought us back. This one was a little more worn out than the one I took last week.
I noticed on this flight was that a section of wall around the rear emergency exit didn't match the rest of the interior. Closer look and the Allegiant contractor (or a previous owner) had taken a similar type of material and bolted it up against the wall in and around the exit door and then sealed the wall where it lined up to the exit door frame with what appeared to be household bathtub caulk to keep cold air inside the airframe from leaking into the cabin. It first caught my eye because I noticed the caulk was cracked and peeling off. It clearly wasn't working as this flight was freezing cold and people were pulling out hoodies to stay warm.
When I got up to exit, I then noticed that the seats in and around the same exit were of a different variety than the pure economy seats Allegiant usually uses. Minor detail perhaps, but gives you an idea that some planes really are near the end of their maintenance life and they pull things from other planes to make do.
The main gate area at Sanford is not much different than a bus terminal in Mexico City in the summer time.
People lined up everywhere, tons of noise from a healthy allotment of crying, yelling kids all along with a gate announcement PA system that is in no way coordinated. So when Gate 12 is announcing Group 1, you hear it right on top of Gate 10 making final boarding call. The system is not queued to ovoid overlap. So at one time I could hear no less than 4 gates in various states of boarding all overlapping on the PA. So people look around asking "what did they say, what group did they call?" while standing 10 yards from the gate.
Allegiant is getting better crews to service the cabins. A couple of years ago it used to be contractors who had little interest in the needs of the passengers. Todays flight had a large crew in no less than 3 uniform types. Must be training up for the summer travel season.
One noticeable thing, no physical warning on electronic devices. None. They check for seat belts, they check to clear your feet. They announce a "airplane mode" request. But they did not force people off their headphones or ear buds on take off or landing. Usually on mainstream carriers I will have a cabin attendant scold me for not complying right away. Not here it seems. More training needed perhaps.
I will admit, this was probably the worse shape I have seen a US made plane in regular service since I flew in a Kulula Air 737 between Cape Town and Durban, where both lavatories were broken and half of the seats had no arm rests. The flight wasn't that long, but to see so much disrepair on a production airline was surprising.
I have been on Allegiant's newer Airbus models and never on those flights did I see the disrepair. This is clearly limited to many of their flights using 25+ year old MD-80's.
I did research on the ValuJet connection with Allegiant, and Maurice Gallagher, the CEO of Allegiant was a board member on ValuJet when they filed BK after the Miami tragedy. I also found that the FAA is currently in an advanced audit of Allegiant maintenance and operations records out in Las Vegas (2 years early). Seems several pilots are planning some kind of labor action just as the summer flying season (and Allegiants busiest) begins. There have been several resignations in Allegiant's senior management on the Operations side, so by outward appearances, having the FAA looking over their shoulder seems to be having an impact.
Reading the in flight publication (yep, Allegiant does have one) I noticed a lot of advertising for Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach as a tourist destination. No where is Visit Jacksonville, the Ponte Vedra-St Augustine Tourism Board, or any other NE Florida amenities mentioned. I find this odd because I don't see Amelia Island clientele seeking out Allegiant to reach the properties. It seems to be a marketing mismatch, perhaps my perception only.
In summary, Allegiant has cheap fares because they use old equipment they can grab on the cheap. The fares in turn attract a different type of passenger, basically, a value set of passengers (young families, lots of kids) who would normally drive to Disney in their Dodge minivan and eat out of their packed ice chest with WalMart deli meats and generic sodas. They don't care that the planes have cosmetic issues, all they care is point A to point B at the lowest, quickest way.
I like those fares, but I don't like seeing disrepair inside the planes. I can deal with the crowded terminals and noisy kids, but not with organizational chaos reaching the gate. I fly again with them in a month. Lets see if I see the same thing as it will be in the peak of their summer flying season.
Quote from: spuwho on May 09, 2016, 12:12:03 AM
I came back via Allegiant today to Sanford.
Did you drive and park?
Quote from: spuwho on May 09, 2016, 12:12:03 AM
One noticeable thing, no physical warning on electronic devices. None. They check for seat belts, they check to clear your feet. They announce a "airplane mode" request. But they did not force people off their headphones or ear buds on take off or landing. Usually on mainstream carriers I will have a cabin attendant scold me for not complying right away. Not here it seems. More training needed perhaps.
I've actually never been forced off my headphones or ear phones by any carrier anywhere. Not sure exactly what situation you're describing I suppose.
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on May 09, 2016, 11:05:31 AM
Quote from: spuwho on May 09, 2016, 12:12:03 AM
I came back via Allegiant today to Sanford.
Did you drive and park?
Quote from: spuwho on May 09, 2016, 12:12:03 AM
One noticeable thing, no physical warning on electronic devices. None. They check for seat belts, they check to clear your feet. They announce a "airplane mode" request. But they did not force people off their headphones or ear buds on take off or landing. Usually on mainstream carriers I will have a cabin attendant scold me for not complying right away. Not here it seems. More training needed perhaps.
I've actually never been forced off my headphones or ear phones by any carrier anywhere. Not sure exactly what situation you're describing I suppose.
Yes, I drove and parked at Sanford.
Delta, United and American flight crews have always confirmed physically that my ear buds were out of my ears. One Delta attendant actually scolded me even though my phone was in airplane mode. In this case I saw people using their iPads and playing games on iPhones right up to landing.
I personally know that phones and computers dont interfere with modern avionics.
The last time it was an issue is when I flew over dark territory in the South Atlantic back in 1998. Someone's CD player was putting out RF interference and the plane was asked to shut off everything in mid flight.
I flew the new Jax to Richmond route on Allegiant this weekend. Didn't have any problems either way. Both flights were ontime and full. Did notice a lot more elderly with wheelchairs on the return flight which took a little longer to board than normal. Seems pretty similar to Spirit to me
Quote from: spuwho on May 09, 2016, 12:31:59 PM
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on May 09, 2016, 11:05:31 AM
Quote from: spuwho on May 09, 2016, 12:12:03 AM
I came back via Allegiant today to Sanford.
Did you drive and park?
Quote from: spuwho on May 09, 2016, 12:12:03 AM
One noticeable thing, no physical warning on electronic devices. None. They check for seat belts, they check to clear your feet. They announce a "airplane mode" request. But they did not force people off their headphones or ear buds on take off or landing. Usually on mainstream carriers I will have a cabin attendant scold me for not complying right away. Not here it seems. More training needed perhaps.
I've actually never been forced off my headphones or ear phones by any carrier anywhere. Not sure exactly what situation you're describing I suppose.
Yes, I drove and parked at Sanford.
Delta, United and American flight crews have always confirmed physically that my ear buds were out of my ears. One Delta attendant actually scolded me even though my phone was in airplane mode. In this case I saw people using their iPads and playing games on iPhones right up to landing.
I personally know that phones and computers dont interfere with modern avionics.
The last time it was an issue is when I flew over dark territory in the South Atlantic back in 1998. Someone's CD player was putting out RF interference and the plane was asked to shut off everything in mid flight.
How long ago is that. For the last two years, all US Airlines allow gate to gate PEDs as long as they are in airplane mode. I haven't been asked by Delta since, doing between 60k and 100k miles a year with them.
Quote from: spuwho on May 03, 2016, 12:20:21 PM
If they can maintain their equipment and keep their staff professional, they will won't be the next Ryan Air.
FTFY.
I flew Allegiant this past week for the holidays and have noticed some favorable changes.
Professionalism of the flight crew is improving. The process of boarding was much more fluid and less chaotic.
Allegiant is improving the check in process with upgraded kiosks.
The planes (still older MD-80's) were in better shape on this round. No mismatched seats or patchworks of interior panels.
They were on time and the only issue was fog in the midwest which forced us to land at the Air Force base next door.
They now offer a miles credit card and drinks are free if you have one.
They sent me a Black Friday special for this particular trip and because I flew in 1 airport and back from a different one, I ran into an odd situation.
The first booking came in with the discount, but when I booked the return, it refused to let me pay on the check out. I logged out and back in and mysteriously I could now pay, but the fares were $20 a head more. Did the clear of the cookies and got the fare discount, but is little games like that, that can make the discount offer not so special.
Either way I flew a family of 3 to the midwest for $300 round trip. When I priced checked against the majors, I could t find a fare for less than $300 per person! So the price was most definitely right.
On another note, Orlando Sanford has so many people flying out of there for the holidays, they turn 4 large grass fields into economy parking lots. These fields massive and very full.
That gives you an idea of just how many people are flying Allegiant out of Sanford, especially during the holiday rush.
With the Black Friday discount rental through Enterprise, this by far had to have been the most economical holiday trip I have ever taken without driving.
I only had to go to Sanford because Allegiant drops the route from Jax in the winter. If Jax had the same arrangement, I would have saved even more.
Welp, at some point in the last few months Allegiant dropped their routes to Memphis, NOLA and Richmond. I was looking to get flights to Memphis and noticed this. They are adding Cleveland soon though, which may make more sense. I will be flying Allegiant for the first time next month. Keep me in your prayers...I hope to report back when I've returned safely to Jax...
Also noticed twice weekly service to Dallas for Southwest. That may come in handy as well.
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on January 15, 2017, 10:39:16 AM
Welp, at some point in the last few months Allegiant dropped their routes to Memphis, NOLA and Richmond. I was looking to get flights to Memphis and noticed this. They are adding Cleveland soon though, which may make more sense. I will be flying Allegiant for the first time next month. Keep me in your prayers...I hope to report back when I've returned safely to Jax...
Also noticed twice weekly service to Dallas for Southwest. That may come in handy as well.
AA has a twice daily flight to DFW from JAX. (At least they used to) While I price check Southwest often, I can never find a reasonable fare.
we're new to Jax but I've flown out of Jax airport before and it was expensive ... are there any good fares out of Jax or is it all expensive?
we just moved from Myrtle Beach and the Spirit Air rates were dirt cheap. Even US Air out of there was very affordable.
From my experience, Jax's fares are competitive. Although it depends on where you're trying to fly too. My three go to airports are JAX, MCO and TPA. Between them, I can find something decent and even a trip to Tampa isn't bad because the majority of my family lives in the area, so it's like going back home.
Quote from: spuwho on January 15, 2017, 05:30:12 PM
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on January 15, 2017, 10:39:16 AM
Welp, at some point in the last few months Allegiant dropped their routes to Memphis, NOLA and Richmond. I was looking to get flights to Memphis and noticed this. They are adding Cleveland soon though, which may make more sense. I will be flying Allegiant for the first time next month. Keep me in your prayers...I hope to report back when I've returned safely to Jax...
Also noticed twice weekly service to Dallas for Southwest. That may come in handy as well.
AA has a twice daily flight to DFW from JAX. (At least they used to) While I price check Southwest often, I can never find a reasonable fare.
Yes they do. In my experience actually I've found Southwest to be much cheaper overall than the legacies. Like maybe 75% of routes. I just checked and must admit the AA flight is less than I'm used to (I think I've searched this routing 3 or 4 different times in the past year) but it is still $21 more than the Southwest option.
That said, I really just meant I like the competition. And Southwest also generally offers the advantage of free checked bags, free flight changes, and OW ticketing (although in this case, the AA option was half the RT price each way) so it's nice when Southwest is the competition.
Quote from: aldermanparklover on January 15, 2017, 08:05:17 PM
we're new to Jax but I've flown out of Jax airport before and it was expensive ... are there any good fares out of Jax or is it all expensive?
we just moved from Myrtle Beach and the Spirit Air rates were dirt cheap. Even US Air out of there was very affordable.
I dunno...I find Jax prices to be pretty decent. Flights to DC are often $59 OW, NYC I see $69 pretty often, BOS $79 and FLL $39. This is mostly during Jetblue sales but US Air and United are usually very competitive to DC and Delta for NYC. Southwest used to have great sales often, now they only have two HUGE sales each year and maybe 2-4 other pretty good ones. Still, I've done $60 to Baltimore, $49 to Nashville and Atlanta, $80 to Chicago all in the past couple years. I'm flying AA to Miami for $54 in a few weeks. And our version of Spirit is Allegiant, which is the primary airline discussed in this thread. The Indy flight I'm taking next month was $48.
Quote from: thelakelander on January 15, 2017, 11:22:58 PM
From my experience, Jax's fares are competitive. Although it depends on where you're trying to fly too. My three go to airports are JAX, MCO and TPA. Between them, I can find something decent and even a trip to Tampa isn't bad because the majority of my family lives in the area, so it's like going back home.
Assuming my experience with Allegiant goes alright, and they continue to invest in their aircraft/maintenance, I may add SFB to my go to list.
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on January 15, 2017, 11:30:37 PM
Quote from: spuwho on January 15, 2017, 05:30:12 PM
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on January 15, 2017, 10:39:16 AM
Welp, at some point in the last few months Allegiant dropped their routes to Memphis, NOLA and Richmond. I was looking to get flights to Memphis and noticed this. They are adding Cleveland soon though, which may make more sense. I will be flying Allegiant for the first time next month. Keep me in your prayers...I hope to report back when I've returned safely to Jax...
Also noticed twice weekly service to Dallas for Southwest. That may come in handy as well.
AA has a twice daily flight to DFW from JAX. (At least they used to) While I price check Southwest often, I can never find a reasonable fare.
Yes they do. In my experience actually I've found Southwest to be much cheaper overall than the legacies. Like maybe 75% of routes. I just checked and must admit the AA flight is less than I'm used to (I think I've searched this routing 3 or 4 different times in the past year) but it is still $21 more than the Southwest option.
That said, I really just meant I like the competition. And Southwest also generally offers the advantage of free checked bags, free flight changes, and OW ticketing (although in this case, the AA option was half the RT price each way) so it's nice when Southwest is the competition.
Quote from: aldermanparklover on January 15, 2017, 08:05:17 PM
we're new to Jax but I've flown out of Jax airport before and it was expensive ... are there any good fares out of Jax or is it all expensive?
we just moved from Myrtle Beach and the Spirit Air rates were dirt cheap. Even US Air out of there was very affordable.
I dunno...I find Jax prices to be pretty decent. Flights to DC are often $59 OW, NYC I see $69 pretty often, BOS $79 and FLL $39. This is mostly during Jetblue sales but US Air and United are usually very competitive to DC and Delta for NYC. Southwest used to have great sales often, now they only have two HUGE sales each year and maybe 2-4 other pretty good ones. Still, I've done $60 to Baltimore, $49 to Nashville and Atlanta, $80 to Chicago all in the past couple years. I'm flying AA to Miami for $54 in a few weeks. And our version of Spirit is Allegiant, which is the primary airline discussed in this thread. The Indy flight I'm taking next month was $48.
great to know, thx!
Flew back from Indy on Allegiant. Not much to report which is what I had been hoping for. I will not mind booking on them again in the future.
I had one small rolling luggage which I decided to use as my carryon, paying $15. It was a bit of a gamble as it measured out 2 inches taller than they allow for carryons and 1 inch too wide. For good measure, it was 2 inches under the limit for depth. Anyway no one batted an eye, it easily fit into the overhead bin, and there were definitely several folks with even larger carryons than mine. None of us got hassled, but I did see people who did not purchase a carryon that were getting pulled out of the line with bags of carryon size.
My only other thought was that the crew seemed to be aware of their airlines deserved reputation and acted almost apologetic about it. There were a handful of comments and actions by the flight attendants that made me think this. They were also very quick to allow all of us in the back to spread out amongst the cabin so that we each basically had our own row. May have also been the fact that this was the Indy crew.
Aircraft was clearly old and dated (MD-80), but it was large and I did not feel unsafe for whatever that is worth. They claim to begin boarding an hour before departure, but we did not board til about 30 minutes before departure. Took off about 5 minutes late but only due to a discrepancy in passenger numbers that took about 5-10 minutes to resolve. Flight landed on time.
I am now 3 for 3 on ultra low cost carriers. I'm probably one of the lucky ones, and I guess I'll continue to test my luck.
^What were the other two ultra low cost carriers?
I really wish that Allegiant would add back to New Orleans flight.
Well, the route has been cancelled.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2017/02/allegiant_cancels_jacksonville.html
Quote from: thelakelander on February 13, 2017, 05:36:13 AM
^What were the other two ultra low cost carriers?
Spirit Airlines twice. There's a decent chance I'll also get to try Frontier if they continue to service UST-PHL all year.
Quote from: JaxAvondale on February 13, 2017, 09:01:09 AM
Well, the route has been cancelled.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2017/02/allegiant_cancels_jacksonville.html
I'm not shocked. Took that route to see some family in the New Orleans area and the return flight was maybe twenty people counting the crew.
Quote from: spuwho on May 06, 2016, 01:18:58 PM
FWIW:
To give you an idea of how old Allegiant's fleet is I checked the manufacturer plate (just inside the main door) and this MD-80 was made in October of 1989. So while a 27 year old plane isnt that big of a deal, its the cycles and maintenance that matters.
I cant tell when this plate had its C check done.
As I said earlier, MD-8x are pretty hardy planes and can last a long time if maintained properly.
Okay, I know it sounds boastful, but it is funny as hell to me... When I wrote a plan for the City of Sanford back in 1985 to become a transportation hub, "We could capture the charter flights currently going into OIA as well as some commuter or regional carriers..." Shuttles would connect the airport and Amtrak/Auto-train with the historic downtown etc... At first they nearly laughed me out of City Hall. Today, I'm the one laughing.
The shuttle is operating too, free from the train station.